Two-Sport Star Salem Looks to Junior Season
By Lee Davis
Journal Sports Writer
Just his name alone should indicate that Georgie Salem has a pretty good athletic pedigree.
His father George played football at the University of Alabama. So did his grandfather, George Sr. His great-uncle Ed played there, too, and was an All-American in 1950. It’s no stretch to say that Salem has athletics in his blood.
And after his sophomore season at Vestavia Hills, it was obvious that Salem is a worthy heir to the family tradition. He made his mark in varsity football and baseball, and the best almost certainly is yet to come.
On the gridiron, Salem saw extensive time at running back, complementing All-Over the Mountain star Mike Brown. On the baseball diamond, he starred as both an outfielder and pitcher, and earned All-OTM honors in his own right.
As his junior year approaches, Salem has raised his own bar in both sports.
“In football, I want to be one of the leaders on our team, and I’d like to make All-Metro,” he said when contacted last week. “I don’t say any of that to sound cocky, but I just want to set high goals for myself.”
His objectives for baseball are just as lofty. Salem would like to hit in the mid-.400s and preserve his perfect record on the mound.
“Most of all, I want to help the team win,” he added.
Salem’s ties to Vestavia are almost as strong as his link to athletics. His dad was Over-the-Mountain Player of the Year as a Rebel lineman and played on a state championship team in the 1980s.
And father – like son – played for legendary Vestavia coach Buddy Anderson.
“My dad talks about when he played for Coach Anderson all the time,” Salem said. “And I always listen, because there’s so much knowledge to be gained from my dad’s stories, and from Coach Anderson himself.
“Playing for Coach Anderson almost seems like I’m playing for my grandfather, because I know him so well.”
As talented as Salem is in football and baseball, he won’t pick a favorite.
“I love them both – I really couldn’t pick one,” he insisted. “As far as which one I might play in college, I’m open to anything.”
Salem’s college ambitions aren’t just a dream. He’s already being listed as a potential big-time prospect in both sports.
“It’s an honor to be considered,” Salem said. “It’s all up to me to keep working to be as good as I can be.”
That means Salem won’t have a lot of idle time this summer. He’s playing travel ball with the Excel Baseball Academy, while squeezing in optional football workouts when possible. Then in August, Salem and his football teammates will be off to Vestavia’s traditional pre-season football camp.
“I’ll get some time to hang out with my friends,” Salem said, laughing. “But not much. That’s okay, though, because I love what I’m doing.”
Salem sees his family’s athletic bloodlines as a blessing to carry rather than a burden to bear.
“My dad taught me from the very beginning about how important it is to work hard in everything I do,” he explained. “Everyone in my family who had success in athletics worked hard to get where they were. That’s a lesson that will always stay with me.”
While fall practice and two-a-days may still seem a long way off, Salem said he is already looking forward to football season. Vestavia posted a 9-2 record last fall, which included a thrilling 30-27 upset over eventual state champ Hoover.
The season ended on a sour note, however, as the Rebels lost to Minor 21-0 in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Salem wants to see his team do even better in 2010.
“We lost a lot of really good players,” he said. “But we’ve got some talented guys coming back. We’ve got the best coaches, so if we do our jobs, it could be a great season.”
And if Vestavia has a memorable season, the odds are that Georgie Salem will be a big part of it.